Tuesday, September 04, 2007

In my constant debates with Nate regarding the environment, his last word is always: It Costs Too Much. And while I have some elaborate ideas about alternative energy companies and infrastructure, and the impact of many doing something small, I have to admit, that for a certain portion of the country, it does come down to a bottom line.

But now several business schools are starting programs in green business. As is, finding ways to cut costs while being more environmentally friendly. And the idea is driven by capitalism, not a trend to want to make the world better:

"The idea is not to make a philanthropic proposal but to come up with one that makes solid business sense," says Mr. Weatherill, who will switch to Dow next summer. "There's something to be said for doing things because it's the right thing to do. But if businesses are going to go broke doing it, there are limits to what they'll be willing to accept."

My argument for investing in such green practices is that eventually, everyone will be wanting green business strategies and technology. If the United States is the first to seriously develop environmentally friendly technology, we'll be able to export it again, and will eventually regain our position as a powerful innovator. This would push the economy back on track, because we'd finally be selling something as opposed to simply importing from outside the country.

Green can be affordable. It simply takes a shifting of mindset to see.